Already known is a device for orienting generally round subjects from a mass of randomly orientated subjects, provided with a slanted rotating disc having orienting means for capturing correctly orientated subjects for delivery to a conveying means. See Dutch patent application No. 66.01895. In this known device, the orienting means comprise openings applied near the circumference of the disc, which openings are connected to a vacuum source. Correctly oriented caps, i.e. caps having their openings down, are pulled to the upper surface of the disc by the action of the vacuum, and are taken along to the upper region of the disc, where the caps are delivered to a conveying means, e.g. a conveying trough. Caps which are positioned on their sides cannot be pulled to the surface of the disc by the vacuum, because of their rounded shape. These caps remain in the mass of caps. Caps which are upside down, however, can be taken along by the disc, by the action of the vacuum, when no special provisions are applied to those caps to ensure rejection. To avoid this disadvantage, the upper ends of the caps are generally provided with irregularities so that they cannot be pulled to the upper surface of the disc by the action of the vacuum when they are upside down. It is therefore a disadvantage of this known device, that only specially shaped caps can be oriented if it is desired to reject those caps which are inverted.
Also known is a device in which caps are oriented by vibration. A disadvantage of such a device is, however, that caps made of natural rubber are oriented slowly and only with great difficulty because of their extremely high modulus of elasticity. Furthermore, when the vibration is too intense, those caps cannot be oriented at all.
It is an object of the invention to provide a device capable of orienting generally round subjects, such as caps, which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages, and which enjoys several advantages never before known to the prior art.